WINNING NEW CLIENTS - TIP OF THE WEEK No. 3

THE CONFUSION BETWEEN ACTIVITY AND RESULTS!

Advancement - any action you or your customer takes that moves you nearer to the order. Continuation - sales activity but no progress towards winning the order.

In reality how many of your sales calls and visits are continuation calls? OK, so you cannot expect the order on every call you make but you can move things along. Set an objective for every customer, prospect or client engagement. Develop commitment questions that advance the sale but are non threatening. "What do I have to do to get the order" is a little aggressive for some people. Try "What's the next step?", "Where do we go from here?", "Who else do we need to involve to move ahead on this?"

WINNING NEW CLIENTS - TIP OF THE WEEK No. 2

DON'T ACCIDENTLY INTRODUCE COST AS A PROBLEM!

When presenting your pricing or your fees don't use the word cost. Especially in the current economic climate, if you talk cost the prospect thinks cost. Your prospect is "investing" in your services or products because they will get a return on the spend. Never have a section of a proposal titled costs, always call this section "Your investment in [product / service] and the return". Never put "costing details" as an email subject line. Sounds crass, silly, nitpicking? Try it you will be amazed at the difference and the positive tone of the interaction with prospects and clients. More info on handling pricing and proving ROI.